Just a Dream
by ACamp-toner
Summary: [Staubrey!] For weeks now, a voice had been singing to her in her dreams. It was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard. And she just heard that voice clear as day, coming from.. (limited side Bechloe)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, so I really shouldn't be posting this since I have another Staubrey fic in progress right now but I got a prompt from someone and ran with it.. and this is what it transformed into.**

 **This story is kind of strange - I wouldn't call it paranormal _exactly_ but it definitely has some elements of it. Just go with it, dudes.**

* * *

Chapter 1

* * *

She took in her surroundings, breathing hard. She was in a dark, damp alley. She could see her breath fogging out of her mouth as if the temperature was really cold but she didn't feel cold at all. She didn't know if she had just been running but she couldn't catch her breath and she felt very frightened. She had no idea where she was.

She heard a shout from the end of alley and turned to see a large man coming towards her with a gun in his hand. She didn't feel like she could run anymore, she was so tired. She didn't know this guy but she was sure he was going to kill her. She ran ahead a little but couldn't stop stumbling; her legs didn't want to cooperate.

She found a small cubbyhole behind a dumpster and scrambled to hide. She could feel herself choking back a sob. She had never been so frightened, she was sure of it. She hid, her knees pulled tight to her chest. She started rocking slightly, trying to calm herself, and brought her hands up to cover her ears as she closed her eyes. She started singing as loudly as she could in her own mind, to drown out any sounds of the man approaching. She hoped if he wanted to kill her, he would do it fast, before she even knew it was coming. Her body stayed tense and her mind kept singing.

Her eyes suddenly shot open with a gasp. Her chest was still heaving but she was in bed, her _own_ bed, and she looked around to see the familiar sight of her own things. She brought her hand to her cheek and felt it wet with tears.

* * *

Stacie heard shuffling around her. There was some sort of bag over her head and her senses were heightened because she couldn't see. Whoever was guiding her had a strong grip and she smelled really, really good. Stacie wasn't sure whether to be surprised or not that she made it into the acapella group. That's what she was assuming this meant, anyway. Some sort of weird initiation.

Stacie hasn't really ever been one to join extracurricular activities (unless you count trying to seduce teachers - which Stacie totally counted). She's also never really been one to place any emphasis on her dreams at all but over the course of the past few weeks, she's dreamt of singing. She hasn't been the one singing in her dreams, but some voice comes through to her. Almost every night she hears this amazing voice and, as strange as she thinks this is, it seems to help her sleep more peacefully.

That's how Stacie ended up in a dark room filled with candles, which were quite possibly going to cause a fire at any second, and a bag being ripped off her head, among other equally bewildered girls. It was actually something her mom told her a long time ago about dreams that made her pursue this. The subconscious won't let you dream of the same thing multiple times unless it's trying to tell you something - and you should listen to it as best as possible. So, what else could Stacie do about her singing dreams but join a group of all-female acapella singers? Or maybe she was insane, she wasn't quite sure.

She looked around at the other girls while repeating a ridiculous oath one of the leaders was saying. These girls seemed nice. Stacie didn't have a lot of girl friends - girls were catty bitches and Stacie wasn't all about that. She was hoping to make some friends though, if anything. Her attention was brought back to the front of the room by the blonde snapping. She was really pretty, Stacie observed, but she seemed like a total bitch. Stacie made a note to herself to stay out of her way.

"Okay, girls. Welcome and congratulations on becoming a Bella. I'm Aubrey," the blonde said, "and this is Chloe," Aubrey pointed at the redhead who just smiled. She seems sweet, Stacie thought. "We have a very tough year in store so I need to make sure you all are dedicated to this team. We will practice several hours a day, every day."

"Are you serious?" Stacie looked over and saw a tiny girl with piercings and a lot of eyeliner, a permanent smirk seemed plastered on her face.

"Dixie Chicks serious. It's imperative that we work our asses off to get to the ICCA finals and win this year. If you aren't prepared for the hard work, you are free to leave." Aubrey stared pointedly at the alt girl who just arched an eyebrow and didn't move.

"Alright then!" Chloe broke the tension. "Well, that's enough about business for now. Tonight is a night to celebrate!" The redhead motioned for them to follow her outside. Eventually they entered an amphitheater where a bunch of people were dancing and standing around, listening to music and drinking. Stacie scoped out the guys. She wasn't picky about gender but guys were usually easiest to pick up, have fun with, and toss aside. Just how she liked it.

She grabbed a drink and started flirting with a cute guy she saw checking her out. This was almost too easy. When they started dancing, Stacie's eyes caught the blonde leader's on the other side of the open space. She was staring at her with her arms crossed, an unreadable expression in her eyes that looked anything but pleased. Stacie suddenly got nervous but shook off the feeling and focused her attention back on the guy grinding up against her.

Later that evening, Stacie was feeling pretty buzzed but went to get another drink anyway. She noticed the blonde talking with Fat Amy and watched them look over at her a few times. Or were they looking at Cynthia Rose next to her? Either way it unnerved her. Stacie decided she didn't like this half of their Bellas leadership team.

* * *

The first week of Bellas rehearsal was almost a joke, as far as Stacie was concerned. There was no singing at all and way too much running up and down stairs. Aubrey was so uptight, it made Stacie want to grab her shoulders and shake her loose. The only time it made her laugh was when she was yelling at Beca, the girl with the 'ear monstrosities,' because honestly, Stacie wanted to see her pushed down a peg too. This is why she didn't hang out with girls, she thought to herself and shook her head, because she started being just as catty as they acted.

Stacie was gathering her things after practice one day when she found herself alone in the rehearsal room with Chloe and Aubrey. They were at the front of the room and Stacie was pretty sure they didn't even notice that she was there. Stacie was surprised to see them looking through a musical folder, as she had pretty much forgotten this was even a singing group at all.

Stacie heard Chloe start humming part of a tune and she realized that she had never actually heard the leaders sing anything before. She watched all the other girls audition but Aubrey and Chloe obviously didn't have to do that. Chloe's voice was so sweet, Stacie caught herself smiling.

The two leaders began murmuring something to each other and Aubrey started singing. Stacie's head shot up and the binder she was holding clattered to the ground. The two leaders startled and looked behind them, realizing that someone was still in the room with them. Aubrey found Stacie staring at her, eyes wide like she has just seen a ghost.

"Oh, Stacie. We didn't know you were still here. Do you need something?" Chloe smiled sweetly.

"No! No, uh, I have to go actually. I'm running late." Stacie hurried out of the room.

 _Holy fuck, holy fuck, holy fuck._ Stacie's chest was heaving from her fast getaway. She couldn't process what was happening. For weeks now, a voice had been singing to her in her dreams. It was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard. And she just heard that voice clear as day.. coming out of _Aubrey_. Aubrey? Really? She didn't even _like_ Aubrey. She could hardly stand being around her. And besides all that, even if it was someone that she liked a lot, what did this all mean? Normal people don't hear people singing them into deeper sleep every night.

* * *

Stacie felt like she had no choice but to try to forget about it and go on like normal. Telling Aubrey about it was not even an option and what would that accomplish anyway? Nothing.

She searched online to see if she could figure out if this happened to anyone else but she couldn't find anything. So she kept her distance from Aubrey and left the second rehearsals ended. Even though she could not avoid hearing Aubrey sing, she could avoid being near her or talking to her. The problem in doing this was that Stacie felt like she was always hyper aware of where Aubrey was and what Aubrey was doing. She didn't like feeling obsessed with someone she didn't even _like_ or consider a friend.

And now the girls were itching to get together and do something outside of rehearsal. Stacie really liked the Bellas and she wanted to hang out with them but she didn't really want to hang out with Aubrey. When Amy invited the girls over to the house she has off-campus, Stacie couldn't say no. She hoped that Aubrey would decline since she didn't really seem like the type of girl who liked to go out and party and she didn't even seem like she liked the girls anyway.

When Stacie arrived at Amy's house on the night of the party, she felt her stomach lurch when she saw the blonde across the room. She immediately veered off to where the drinks were and made herself something strong. Some voice in the back of her head told her it probably wasn't a good idea to drink too much - Stacie shut the voice up with a good, strong pull on her drink.

After a few more drinks, Stacie let herself relax. These girls were funny and, besides Aubrey being seriously uptight and Beca being a snarky little shit, they were really nice. Stacie was pulled out of her thoughts by a seemingly playful argument a few feet away from her.

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Chloe shouted, alcohol apparently dulling her ability to control her volume level.

"Chloe's right, dude, that doesn't make any sense." Beca was talking to Aubrey. Stacie's eyes flitted over to the blonde and she was a bit surprised to see her naturally rigid stance a little more loose than normal. It was still rigid, let's not get carried away, but Stacie had spent a lot of time noticing the girl over the past few weeks and she could tell it was more relaxed.

Chloe's eyes caught Stacie looking over at them. "Stacie! Answer this question, okay? If a tree falls on a completely uninhabited deserted island, will it make a sound?"

Stacie stared at them with an amused glint in her eyes. Seriously? This is what they were fighting about? "You don't have to say it's uninhabited _and_ deserted, one implies the other." Aubrey laughed at the brunette's response and Stacie's eyes shot up in surprise. She's pretty confident she has not heard Aubrey laugh before. It wasn't a _horrible_ sound, she begrudgingly admitted to herself. "And.. no."

"Wait, no, what?" Chloe looked confused.

"No... it doesn't make a sound. You wanted an answer to the question, right?" Stacie caught Aubrey's brow raise at her answer.

"Ugh, so you're going to agree with Aubrey?" Beca groaned.

"If she's right.." Stacie shrugged. Stacie hadn't known what Aubrey's answer had been and was kind of disappointed to know that they were in agreement.

"But how do you figure? Sound happens. How can it just.. _not_ happen?"

Stacie looked to Aubrey who just raised her eyebrows as if to tell her to please proceed. "Well, I guess the easiest way to explain it is that, scientifically speaking, sound is defined as the sensation produced by vibrations stimulating the nerves in your ear. So, I mean, if a tree falls, there will be vibrations in the air from the disturbance but if there are no ears around to receive the vibrations, there is no sound. ...Technically speaking." Chloe and Beca's eyes widened in surprise. She may have even seen Aubrey give her an appreciative little smirk.

Beca turned to glare at Aubrey. "Why couldn't you have just explained it like that? Then we would have believed you."

"I wasn't really concerned with whether or not you believed me." Stacie bit back a laugh at Aubrey's straightforward retort. Aubrey didn't miss the amused look in Stacie's eyes.

Stacie excused herself from the conversation to go get another drink. She was searching her choices when a voice startled her. "Why do you avoid me all the time?" Aubrey got right to the point, not that Stacie should be surprised.

"I, uh - I don't? I'm not avoiding you."

"Is there something wrong with me? Do you have a problem with me?" Stacie thought she sensed vulnerability in the blonde's tone in the first question but it was quickly masked with a hard edge in the second. Stacie stood there, not knowing what to say. "Well? If you have a problem, I want to know what it is."

"It's not exactly a problem." It was _exactly_ a problem. Stacie didn't like being confronted though and her own defense mechanisms kicked in. "Look, to be honest, life's too short to hang out with uptight people who are going to stress me out. So.." Stacie grabbed a beer. "Bye." She walked away.

Chloe watched this exchange from across the room, not able to hear what was being said. She watched Aubrey visibly deflate when Stacie turned away. It was a rare moment of seeing Aubrey's mask of control slip for a second. Chloe lived with Aubrey and Aubrey was her best friend - Chloe has seen her at her most vulnerable. But that was just the two of them, locked away in their apartment, usually in the middle of the night - never in public, never in front of people.

Chloe sidled up to the blonde. "What was that about?"

Aubrey looked away from the redhead and stared straight at the tall brunette who had joined a conversation with CR and Amy. "Nothing." Chloe watched the mask shift back into place, just like that.

* * *

Stacie startled when the book she was reading fell on her face. She was laying in bed, trying desperately not to sleep, but apparently dozed off for a second. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. The clock on her nightstand read 1:03 AM. It was late and Stacie had an early morning but she didn't want to sleep.

Well, truthfully, part of her wanted to sleep, wanted to hear the singing. If she tried really hard, she could almost pretend it wasn't Aubrey's voice invading her dreams. For several nights after she first heard Aubrey sing, she went to bed hopeful that she was mistaken, that maybe Aubrey's voice was similar but not the same as the dream voice. Each morning she woke with her hopes dashed. She just wanted one night, _one night_ , of not hearing her. She kept telling herself that, over and over, as if she'd start believing it - as if it wouldn't kill her a little to wake up one morning and realize her dream had been soundless.

"Ughh," Stacie groaned and fell back on her bed. She felt so confused. She didn't like Aubrey; she wanted nothing to do the blonde leader. But… she sort of lived for that voice every night. Is it possible for the sound of a voice to make you feel loved? Each morning, Stacie only remembers the sound of the voice and the feelings it left her with. No matter how hard she tries, she can't ever remember the words the voice sang or anything specific. She wakes up feeling safe and loved - and all she knows is it's really fucking her up. And it's getting harder every day to maintain the separation in her mind between the voice and the uptight, blonde leader.

And truthfully, it's getting harder to remember why disliking her is so important.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I just don't know about this one guys. I might not be a 'prompt' writer. Just keep going with it and maybe it'll go somewhere eventually. No promises.**

* * *

Chapter 2

* * *

She found herself running up a long flight of stairs, flight after flight after flight, until her lungs felt like they were going to explode and her legs turned to rubber. She finally reached the top and ran through the door, seeing cube after cube of office spaces. She veered left and tried to find the perfect space to hide; she knew whoever was following her would be up there any second.

She hid underneath a desk, immediately plugging her ears and closing her eyes tight. She tried to calm herself and steady her breathing by singing loudly in her mind. It was the only thing that ever worked. She's not sure how long she sat there before she smelled it. The smell was acrid and harsh, distinctly gasoline. It was overwhelming, burning her nostrils.

And then the smell changed to smoke. Suddenly, there was intense heat and she was coughing, suffocating. She was going to burn alive. Her lungs strained to breathe.

With a gasp, she shot up in bed, drenched in sweat. She could still smell the gasoline and smoke.

* * *

If Stacie's being honest with herself, she felt a little bad about what she said to Aubrey the other night. Aubrey might be uptight and super frustrating to be around in rehearsals, but she hadn't ever done anything to indicate that she was a bad person - or even a mean person.

Stacie tried to think of what her mom would say if she were around. She imagines her mom would say that Stacie needs to really give Aubrey a chance - to find out who she is beyond the Bellas. And if she still doesn't like her? Well, that's that.

Stacie sighed to herself. She knows she's not being fair but she didn't know how to fix it.

She thought it over as she made her way to rehearsals. Maybe she should just try to get to know Aubrey more. If she's going to dislike someone, she wants to know it's at least justified.

She opened the door to the rehearsal room a few minutes early but everyone seemed to already be there. She dropped her stuff and looked up at the blonde who was reviewing something in a binder. She took a deep breath and approached her.

"Hi!" she said, almost rolling her eyes at how accidentally enthusiastic her voice sounded.

Aubrey looked up and turned her head slightly from side to side, as if to make sure that Stacie was talking to her. "Hello."

"Hi."

"You said that already."

"Oh, yeah, sorry," Stacie mumbled. "Listen, I just wanted to apologize for the other night. I didn't mean that."

"Yes you did." Aubrey looked back down at her binder like she was done with the conversation but Stacie persisted.

"You're right, I did - but I could have said it differently. And I don't really know you at all, so it wasn't really fair." Stacie could be completely imagining it, but she swears she saw Aubrey's eyes soften for a split second before they hardened again.

"It's fine," Aubrey said curtly, closing her binder and getting up to start rehearsals.

Stacie didn't really understand what just happened. She's not used to people not being completely receptive to her, even when she's insulted them recently. She's just that charming. And while she wasn't ever mean, she's always been the girl in school who was popular enough that people did anything to be her friend. This left Stacie feeling a bit unsettled - but she's always liked a good challenge.

Stacie went up to Aubrey when rehearsals ended. "Hi," Stacie said, grinning big. Aubrey looked at her warily. "Do you want to get coffee with me?"

"What? Why?" Aubrey questioned, confused.

"I don't know," Stacie shrugged. "-to talk? Maybe get to know each other a little better?"

"I can't," Aubrey said firmly.

"Oh." Stacie didn't mean to look hurt - she certainly didn't mean to actually _be_ hurt. Just hours before, she couldn't really stand the thought of the blonde and now she's sad she won't agree to coffee? She was a mess and it was giving her a headache.

"I have other obligations. See you tomorrow, Stacie." Aubrey turned and left the brunette, who was, again, trying to figure out what just happened.

"Don't take it personally," Stacie whipped around at the sound of Chloe's voice. "She's a tough nut to crack."

"Is it worth it?" Stacie found herself asking before she thought it through.

"Cracking her?" Stacie nodded. "Yes, it's worth it, absolutely."

Stacie sighed.

* * *

Aubrey was sitting on the couch with her textbook in front of her, jotting down notes, when Chloe walked into their shared living room.

"Hey Bree."

Aubrey looked up and smiled. "Hey Chlo."

"We're still on for a movie tonight, right?"

"Of course." Aubrey and Chloe watched a movie together probably about once a week. It was one of Aubrey's favorite things to do.

"Good because, um, I kind of invited a couple people over. Okay see you later!" Chloe turned to leave quickly.

"Stop right now, Chloe Beale!" Chloe stopped and slowly turned around, biting her lip. "Who is coming over?"

"Beca and-"

"Beca?! Ughh, Chloe!" Aubrey groaned.

"Stacie is coming too!" Chloe watched Aubrey's eyes widen.

"Is this supposed to be helping your case?"

"Come on, Bree," Chloe sighed. "I know you like Stacie."

"Where on earth did you get that idea?" Aubrey asked, truly perplexed.

"You think she's interesting." Aubrey quirked an eyebrow at Chloe. "And she's not afraid of you, she doesn't bow down."

"That's one of her more annoying qualities," Aubrey said, pursing her lips.

Chloe laughed. "Sometimes I think I know you better than you know you."

* * *

"I can't believe you talked me into this," Stacie muttered as she and Beca made their way to Aubrey and Chloe's apartment.

"It didn't take a lot of convincing. You agreed the second I said Aubrey was going to be there," Beca smirked, causing Stacie's face to redden slightly. She hadn't had a lot of success with getting to know Aubrey so she needed to take this opportunity. Still, she didn't appreciate that Beca had noticed.

Stacie looked around the apartment when Chloe let them in. It was nice and homey and she could immediately see herself spending a lot of time there. She made her way towards Aubrey who was on the couch while Beca followed Chloe into the kitchen. The blonde looked up from what she was reading and gave Stacie a half smile as she said hello.

Stacie sat on the couch next to her. "See what happens when you won't agree to coffee with me? I invade your personal space."

Aubrey chuckled and Stacie was surprised by her stomach doing a little flip at the sound. "I'll keep that in mind next time you ask me to coffee."

"Next time? No, no," Stacie shook her head, a teasing glint in her eyes. "That was a one-time only offer. I don't take rejection very well." She stuck her tongue out and Aubrey chuckled again. Stacie found herself wanting nothing more than to make the blonde laugh over and over again.

"I guess I'll have to ask next time then," Aubrey said, meeting Stacie's eyes with a sudden seriousness.

They stared at each other for several moments before Aubrey's eyes shifted as Chloe and Beca walked in the room, holding drinks and bowls of popcorn. Chloe handed a bowl to Stacie and settled in on the other couch with Beca. Stacie sat back and got comfortable.

"Did you know that Americans eat like 17 billion quarts of popcorn a year? Enough to fill the Empire State Building like 18 times," Stacie said as she grabbed a handful.

"That's crazy. Why do you know that?" Chloe laughed.

"Stacie is like a walking random fact machine. Give her any topic and she'll be able to tell you something completely useless about it," Beca teased.

"Hey! Sometimes they're useful," Stacie pouted. She was feeling a bit self-conscious, which almost never happened. She stole a glance at Aubrey, who was looking at her with an amused expression. "Can we start this movie or what?" She heard Aubrey chuckle lightly.

"Wait! Give me a random fact about glow sticks."

"Glow sticks?" Stacie looked at Chloe like she was insane.

"I love glow sticks!" Chloe grinned.

"Um, I don't really know any random things about glow sticks. I mean, I understand how they work, their chemical components, but nothing random."

"How do they work?" Aubrey cut in, suddenly interested.

"They're made up of two chemical components. One is basically a solution of fluorescent dye with phenol oxidate and then there's hydrogen peroxide. All it takes is mixing those two things together to get the glow stick to work, so they put one mixture in the plastic tube and the other in a small glass vial inside the tube. That's why you have to bend it to make it glow - you have to break the glass inside to get the chemicals to mix."

"How do you know this stuff?" Aubrey asked.

Stacie shrugged. "I like chemistry."

Stacie finally succeeded in getting them to start the movie. She curled her legs up beside her and settled in to watch. She usually loves movies but she found herself more than a little distracted during this one. She thought about how she had probably been wrong about Aubrey - she seemed different outside of rehearsal, had seemed different even at that party that one night. Even so, Stacie didn't understand her sudden intrigue. It was probably just her mind trying to figure out why she heard Aubrey in her dreams, right?

If Stacie hadn't been so caught up in her own thoughts, she might have realized that Aubrey was stealing glances at her every few minutes. She could tell the brunette's brain was working by her furrowed brow and she wondered what was going on in that head of hers.

* * *

Stacie watched the blonde at the front of room reading through a textbook. Her right hand was on the back of her neck, absentmindedly massaging a kink. Her other hand was holding the page open while the book rested on her lap, except for every couple of minutes when it reached up to cover a yawn. At the third yawn, Stacie got up and went to the front.

"Are you not sleeping well?" Aubrey's head shot up, startled. Stacie sat in a chair next to her. "You keep yawning," Stacie said to explain her question.

"I sleep fine," Aubrey said, but it came out sounding too defensive for Stacie to believe it to be true. Stacie opened her mouth to tell her that but Aubrey cut her off. "Do you want to get coffee after rehearsal?"

Stacie was so surprised that she couldn't immediately respond. Aubrey sat patiently waiting for a response.

"Yes, of course. I'd love to."

They decided to go to a cafe just off campus because it was less busy. After they got their drinks, they settled into a tiny booth across from one another.

"I've always wanted to be the type of person who could drink my coffee just black," Aubrey said as she motioned towards Stacie's cup.

"If I had to guess, I would have guessed that's how you took it; no nonsense," Stacie replied as she added some sugar to her cup.

"Why did you want to have coffee with me?"

"Uhh, I believe _you_ wanted to have coffee with _me_ , yeah?" Stacie scrunched her nose and stuck out the tip of her tongue briefly.

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "You asked me first. Why?"

"Honestly?" Aubrey nodded. "It's like I said - I knew I wasn't being fair to you in my initial assessment. So I thought I'd try to get to know you and see if it changed anything." Stacie shrugged. "Now a more important question - why did you want to have coffee with me?"

"I'm not sure. You seem interesting." It was Aubrey's turn to shrug.

The two fell into easy conversation, which surprised them both. They found they had much more in common than they thought. Stacie found Aubrey less uptight the more they talked. Aubrey let go of some preconceived ideas she had about the brunette too, like that she was a ditz and that she slept around. She didn't actually know about the sleeping around part but she found herself hoping it wasn't true.

"This was supposed to be harder, you know." Stacie smiled as they were getting up to leave.

"What was?"

"Cracking you. Chloe said you were tough to crack."

"You think you've cracked me?"

"Oh, you're cracked. Can't you see that tiny crack? I can," Stacie grinned and when Aubrey laughed, her heart skipped a beat.

* * *

Aubrey watched the guy approach Stacie from across the room. She watched them talk for a second; she watched Stacie laugh. She felt her stomach twist but she had a hard time identifying why. She tried to pay attention and participate in the conversation happening right in front of her but she felt her eyes drifting towards Stacie's side of the room.

This wasn't supposed to happen. Aubrey builds very strong and high walls around herself for a reason. Unless you're Chloe, you're not supposed to be able to penetrate them. Stacie just waltzed through them like they don't exist after a movie and some coffee? Aubrey shook her head.

Across the room, Stacie was trying to pay attention to what this dude in front of her was saying but she didn't really care. She looked up and saw Aubrey looking at her. She lifted her hand and gave her a little wave and watched the faint hint of a smile show up on Aubrey's face. She was beginning to think it was a problem how much she would do to get that girl to smile. Shit, a week ago she couldn't stand her and now? Well… now she could.

Stacie excused herself from the guy, who she's pretty sure was mid-sentence but she didn't care, and made her way over to Aubrey. The blonde seemed surprised to see her approach.

"How lucky is that guy gonna get later?" Amy asked with a wink. Stacie felt Aubrey's eyes on her intently.

"I mean, I guess it depends how nice he is to his hand, because he's not getting any from me." A mixture of laughs and "ews" followed.

"We were just talking about leaving and going back to our place to hang out for a bit," Chloe said.

"That would be great; this party is so lame." Stacie felt relieved to be leaving.

The girls left and Stacie was finally in starting to feel the drinks she had from earlier. She stumbled and Aubrey caught her arm to keep her from falling. For the rest of the walk to the apartment, Aubrey held on to Stacie's arm, just in case she stumbled again. Stacie liked the feeling more than she cared to examine.

Stacie accepted a glass of wine even though she had probably had enough to drink - but Aubrey was drinking one and Aubrey had offered, so it seemed like a good idea. Stacie felt her stomach flip when the blonde sat right next to her even though there were other places to sit. Even her buzzed brain knew this was a strange feeling to have.

The girls chatted for awhile and some of them filtered out. Stacie was suddenly very tired, wine had a way of doing that to her. She felt someone nudging her on the shoulder.

"Hey," the voice said quietly. "Do you want to stay here?" Stacie nodded, sleepily. She heard Aubrey chuckle.

Stacie was already on the couch and she felt a blanket cover her. She mumbled thank you and fell asleep before she could even hear a response.

* * *

Stacie woke up in the middle of the night and needed to go to the bathroom. It took her a second to orient herself and remember where she was. Someone had left a dim lamp on for her to be able to see.

When she was making her way back to the couch, she heard faint sounds coming from one of the bedrooms. She paused at the door and listened to what sounded like whimpering that was becoming increasingly more distressed. When she heard a shout, she cracked the door open and peered inside.

Aubrey was on her bed thrashing around, face contorted in pain and fear. Stacie rushed in and shook her shoulder, whispering her name. Aubrey pulled away and whimpered more. Stacie shook her harder. She didn't know if this was the right thing to do but she didn't want to see Aubrey like this.

Suddenly Aubrey shot up in bed, panting and looking around bewildered and confused. Stacie heard a sob break through and then tears were streaming down the blonde's face. She wrapped her arms around Aubrey and rocked her back and forth a little.

"It'll be okay," Stacie whispered. "Shh, it'll be okay."

She did this over and over again until Aubrey stopped trembling. She laid the older girl down on her side and laid down behind her, wrapping her arm over her waist. She found Aubrey's hand and traced light circles on her palm until she felt the blonde's breathing deepen and her body relax.

Stacie was tempted to stay right there for the rest of the night to make sure Aubrey was alright but she decided it best to go back to her place on the couch. She set an alarm to wake up and be gone in the morning before anyone woke up.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

* * *

She woke with a start and tried to sit up but couldn't. She tried to move her arms and found that they were tied down. Her legs were tied down as well and her head was held in place so she couldn't see anything but straight above as she laid on her back. A light turned on and she cried out in pain at the sudden brightness; she couldn't shield her eyes.

A figure leaned over her face but she couldn't see him as the back light was so bright. Her eyes adjusted and she could finally make out his features. He had long, dirty grey hair and a long ratty beard. His eyes were big and had a crazed look.

She heard what sounded like knives being sharpened on each other. The man left the gurney where she was tied down and she heard the noise of tools clinking together. A sense of dread filled her. She tried to shout-out but her voice sounded a million miles away.

The man was back at her side with a very thick, very long needle. He smiled maniacally at her as he readied it. She tried to twist away but she was stuck. She heard someone, someone who sounded rooms away, saying her name. She tried to yell out to them. She felt a hand on her shoulder and tensed - but the hand was too gentle, too reassuring.

She closed her eyes tight and focused on the touch. She took a deep breath and when she managed to open her eyes again, it was dark and she was sitting up, her arms and legs were free. She felt arms around her, soothing her, and she realized she was crying. The arms laid her down but stayed around her, a reassuring presence. She relaxed into them.

* * *

Stacie's eyes shot open suddenly and she saw morning rays of sunlight shining into the living room. She looked at her phone and it was about 10 minutes before her alarm was set to go off. She sat up from the couch and groaned, stretching her neck back and forth. Something felt wrong but she couldn't place it.

She got up and washed her face, determined to leave the apartment before anyone else woke. As she was heading down the hallway to return to the living room, she paused at Aubrey's door. The realization of what felt wrong hit her suddenly. She didn't hear the voice last night; her dreams were soundless. Her stomach clenched and she felt an overwhelming and illogical sense of sadness fill her.

A sound coming from the other side of the door catapulted her into motion again. She looked around the room to make sure she didn't have anything laying around. She found a pad of paper and a pen on the kitchen counter and jotted down a quick note, thanking Aubrey and Chloe for letting her stay and promising to see them later in rehearsals.

She wouldn't have normally felt it important to be gone but she didn't want to make Aubrey uncomfortable. She's not even sure if the blonde was conscious enough last night to remember. Stacie worried her lip as she walked to her dorm. How often did Aubrey have nightmares? She felt a sort of protectiveness wash over her and she knew if she could do anything to help her, she would.

* * *

Aubrey slowly woke up, rubbing her eyes and finding it strange that she was on her side. She sat up and racked her brain about what happened during the night. She remembered her dream - well, part of it. Her mind flashed onto a scene of darkness and then the feeling of arms around her. Was that part of the dream? No, she didn't think so. She never dreams about anything nice.

She sat there for several more minutes, grasping at fragments. She could remember whispering. She focused in on it and just when she was about to give up, the entire memory slammed into her. Stacie's arms around her; Stacie's comforting words. She felt her face burning and brought her hands up to cool it. She took a few deep breaths, feeling herself panicking. The idea of someone seeing her at her most vulnerable - it was literally making her tremble. She didn't think she could stand the idea of Stacie making light of her nightmares, or laughing at her.

Aubrey was pulled from her thoughts by a knock at the door. She immediately tensed.

"Bree? Do you want some breakfast? I'm making eggs." She relaxed at the sound of Chloe's voice on the other side.

"Yeah, sure Chlo. That'd be good," she said loudly so Chloe would hear. She got up and surveyed herself in the mirror, cringing at the circles under her eyes. She knew she was going to have to face Stacie eventually and she thought it would be better here, when no one else was really around. Stacie didn't seem like the type to hold back just because some Bellas were present.

She was expecting to see Stacie in the living room but the brunette wasn't there.

"Where's Stacie?"

"She left before I got up," Chloe said and pointed to the note.

Aubrey read the flowy handwriting, running her finger over the ink. Chloe gave her a plate of food and she tried her best to eat as much as possible but her stomach was feeling temperamental. She finished, thanked Chloe for the breakfast and washed her plate. Her head was starting to pound. She took a few Advils before heading to the shower to see if the warm water could put her at ease.

She walked into the rehearsal room later, feeling a little better but still apprehensive. Stacie wasn't there yet and Aubrey had some last minute reading to get done for a class so she settled in with her textbook and quickly became absorbed in her reading. She heard the room around her growing louder as more girls came in and before she knew it, it was time to start.

She looked up, surprised that Stacie hadn't approached her. She's not sure why she was surprised, Stacie didn't always come and talk to her, but she just figured she'd have something to say. She scanned the room and found the brunette's eyes already on her. Stacie gave her a cute half-smile and Aubrey returned it with a light smile of her own.

Stacie did approach Aubrey after rehearsals, though.

"Thanks for letting me stay last night," Stacie said.

Aubrey was trying to keep her voice light. "You had already fallen asleep so I'm not sure we had a choice." She winked, earning a grin from the brunette.

"Do you wanna get some coffee? Or do you have _other obligations_ ," Stacie teased.

"Did I hear you say coffee?" Chloe cut in. "Because I could really use some."

"Oh... yeah, sure. Do you want to come?" Stacie asked. Aubrey didn't miss the slight disappointment in her eyes but Chloe was happily oblivious.

"Beca, we're going to get coffee. Come on," Chloe shouted over her shoulder at the tiny girl as she walked ahead.

"Do you sit when she tells you to sit?" Stacie said with a smirk when Beca got near. Aubrey chuckled and Beca scoffed. "Please tell me you at least make her give you a treat."

"Shut up, dude. You trying saying no to her, it's like not possible," Beca grumbled, leaving Stacie and Aubrey to catch up with Chloe.

"She's so whipped," Stacie chuckled.

"Do you think something is going on with them?" Aubrey questioned, lightly.

"Oh, I don't know. I don't think so yet. But it'll happen. Does Chloe like girls?"

Aubrey shrugged. "Chloe doesn't put limits on herself but I'm not sure she's ever actually been with one."

"Have you?" Stacie asked it as nonchalant as possible.

Aubrey paused, both in the conversation and in their walk, before proceeding. "..been with a girl?"

"Yeah."

Aubrey shook her head. "No, I haven't."

Stacie also took a pause before asking her next question, debating on it for a second and slightly nervous about the answer. "Would you?"

Aubrey's stomach flipped at the question but she wasn't sure why. She thought about it for a second. "If I had feelings for a girl, her being a girl wouldn't be something that would stop me from being with her." Stacie nodded. "I just think it would be hard to identify the feelings."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. Maybe it wouldn't be, but I just think I wouldn't know if it's a friendship feeling or a something more feeling." Aubrey snuck a glance at Stacie; this conversation was beginning to feel like it was hitting too close to home.

Stacie turned her head towards Aubrey and looked her in the eyes. "Think about kissing her."

"W-what?" Aubrey sputtered, hoping Stacie didn't hear.

"If you ever find yourself wondering if you like a girl more than a friend, think about kissing her. If you're indifferent or feeling negatively towards it, you probably don't have feelings. I mean, it's not foolproof but it might help." Stacie shrugged. "But chances are if you're debating it at all, there's at least some more-than-friends feeling there somewhere."

Stacie and Aubrey had caught up with Beca and Chloe right outside the cafe and they went in as a group. Aubrey was preoccupied with thinking about the conversation she and Stacie just had - and beating herself up for not thinking to ask Stacie if _she_ would ever be with a girl.

"Hey, Beca and I were thinking it would be fun if we did like a game night / sleepover thing this weekend with all the girls! Doesn't that sound fun?" Chloe asked as they slid into a booth with their drinks.

Stacie laughed. "Oh really? You _and_ Beca were thinking a game night would be fun?" Chloe grinned and nodded and Beca refused eye contact with Stacie, which only made Stacie laugh harder.

"Does it have to be a sleepover?" Aubrey cut in, glancing quickly and nervously at Stacie before focusing on Chloe.

"That's half the fun, Bree! Plus I wouldn't want any of the girls drinking and leaving."

Aubrey agreed but she still looked worried. Without thinking, Stacie found Aubrey's hand under the booth and gave it a squeeze. She quickly let it go, chastising herself for acting without thinking, and refusing to look Aubrey's way. Aubrey's pulse quickened at the comforting gesture.

* * *

All the girls agreed to game night and were packed into Chloe and Aubrey's apartment. The drinking had started and no one could settle on a game to play.

"Why don't we just play Never Have I Ever?" Cynthia Rose suggested. Some of the girls nodded in agreement while a few asked how to play. "Okay, so we go around and we say something we've never done before, and everyone who has done it has to take a drink. Hold up your hand and put down a finger for every drink you take and you're out of the game when all your fingers on one hand are down."

"Okay you go first then, CR," Chloe said.

"Easy. Never have I ever touched a penis." She smirked when every girl in the room took a drink and put a finger down. The next in the semblance of a circle they had going on in the room was Chloe.

She looked at Cynthia Rose pointedly. "Never have I ever made out with a girl." Aubrey watched as Cynthia Rose, Jessica, Ashley and Stacie all took drinks.

Beca's turn came. "Uh, never have I ever.. driven a car." All the girls took a drink while they looked at Beca with baffled expressions.

"Aubrey, it's your turn."

"Never have I ever gotten lower than an A as a final grade in any class." The girls groaned and rolled their eyes. Aubrey watched them all take a drink except for Stacie. She quirked an eyebrow at her and Stacie just shrugged.

"My turn," Stacie said. "Never have I ever been outside of Georgia."

"I'm out," Jessica said.

"Me too," Ashley voiced.

The game went on like this until Chloe was crowned the winner. Amy insisted everyone do a shot in celebration. Aubrey grimaced as the alcohol burned her throat.

The rest of the night was spent with the girls in hysterics over Cards Against Humanity and finally ended with CR teaching them how to play blackjack. As the evening was winding down, Aubrey got more nervous. She must have yelled or talked in her sleep for Stacie to have come into her room the other night, and she knows Chloe has heard her before too. Chloe's usually dead to the world when she sleeps so it hasn't been an issue but she definitely didn't want to wake any of the Bellas.

"Okay, everyone. There's two couches and two queen air mattresses," Chloe called out. "Which means one on each couch, two on each air mattress, one person with me and one person with Aubrey."

"Wait, what?" Aubrey said, wide eyed.

"I'll stay with you, Aubrey," Stacie cut in quickly, trying to give her a reassuring smile.

Aubrey was trying not to panic, at least not visibly - because she was definitely panicking. Stacie was watching her closely. She smiled and nodded as best she could. She told Stacie she was going to go change into pajamas and get into bed but assured the brunette that she should stay out here as long as she wanted. She said goodnight to the other girls.

Aubrey changed quickly and crawled into bed. Her mind was racing. Should she bring up the other night? Stacie hadn't mentioned it once. And she still wanted to ask Stacie about the whole liking girls thing. She groaned inwardly at herself and rolled her eyes - she can't ask Stacie about that when they're sharing the same bed. _You're an idiot._

There was a light knock on the door followed by Stacie coming in. She was already in her pajamas. "Guess who's sleeping with Chloe? Seriously, one guess," Stacie said as she shut the door behind her.

"Beca?"

"Ding ding ding." Stacie plopped on the bed and laid down on her back. "I should be more drunk." Aubrey chuckled. "Why aren't you drunker? Were you afraid I'd take advantage of you?" The brunette wiggled her eyebrows.

Aubrey laughed. "That's exactly it."

"I like the sound of your laugh."

"Oh?" Aubrey's stomach flipped.

"You don't do it a lot, really laugh, but it's great when you do." Stacie was staring at the ceiling when Aubrey looked over. The blonde was trying to think of a response when Stacie flipped on her side. "Lemme see your hand." She lifted her own up.

"What?"

Stacie grabbed Aubrey's hand and flattened against her own. "I want to see who has bigger hands. Me!"

Aubrey laughed again. "Why?"

"I'm not really sure," Stacie laughed, letting her hand drop.

"Are you sure you're not drunk? I'm not so sure."

"I'm sure." Stacie grinned.

"I'm gonna turn off my lamp now, is that okay?" Aubrey asked and Stacie nodded. They laid there in the dark for awhile and Aubrey thought Stacie had maybe fallen asleep.

"Can I ask you something?" Stacie whispered into the dark.

"That depends."

"This all just reminds me of a middle school sleepover so I feel like I need to ask a classic middle school question."

Aubrey smiled. "Okay, ask away."

"Do you have a crush on anyone?"

Aubrey sucked in a quiet breath. She kept Stacie waiting a few moments before finally answering. "Honestly? I don't know. I'm trying to figure it out."

"Mm, think about kissing them," Stacie murmured, sounding half asleep.

"I am." Aubrey whispered.

"And how do you feel about it?" Stacie said, sounding more awake.

"Nervous. Really nervous."

"Sounds like a crush to me."

Aubrey thought about it for a long awhile. It made her stomach hurt and her nerves skyrocket.

"Do you?" She asked quietly, in case Stacie was sleeping.

"Hm?" Stacie said, mostly asleep.

"Have a crush?"

"Mhm." Aubrey's stomach clenched. Okay, so Stacie had a crush. So what? It's fine. It doesn't matter. Aubrey laid there for awhile before trying in earnest to fall asleep. She was having difficulty and she was still awake long after Stacie's breathing evened out.

* * *

"Ow!" Stacie hissed, rubbing her calf where she had just been kicked. She looked over at Aubrey. The blonde was on her back, her fists clenched, brow furrowed. She let out a whimper.

"Aubrey," Stacie whispered. She wanted to stop this as soon as possible. "Aubrey, wake up." She nudged her shoulder. The blonde stilled. Stacie watched her closely for any changes. A few minutes went by and the brunette closed her eyes again, only to immediately open them when Aubrey let out another whimper.

The blonde's face was scrunched; she shook her head back and forth and then twisted her body to its side. Stacie curled up on her own side and pressed herself up next to the blonde's back, throwing an arm around her waist. The older girl tensed for a second and then relaxed. Stacie grabbed on to her hand and gave it a squeeze. She continued to hold her tight even after she was sure that particular nightmare was over; she continued to hold her hand even as she felt herself relax back into sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

* * *

Running. She had been running for hours, always out of breath but able to keep on. Several people were chasing her but she was too afraid to look back. She heard a bullet whiz by her head, inches from her ear. She choked out a sob but stopped it, knowing she didn't have time to be crying.

She felt the sense that someone was gaining on her. She tried to run faster but it seemed like she was slowing down. She yelped as a hand grabbed her wrist. Everything faded away.

* * *

Aubrey's first waking realization was that she was pleasantly warm and comfortable, her second was that there was an arm around her and a hand on her own, curled a little as if it had been holding tight before sleep relaxed it. Aubrey didn't move as she slowly remembered through her own tiredness that Stacie slept with her last night. Aubrey's heart started racing; she liked this feeling a lot - which she didn't understand because in any past relationship ( _not that this is a relationship_ , Aubrey quickly thought) she's never liked anyone touching her like this.

She racked her brain for any memory of her nightmares. She usually remembers them pretty well, which she always thought was more of a curse than anything else. She doesn't remember anything from last night - maybe a whisper of a recollection of _something_ but that could have been left over from the night before, she's really not sure.

Aubrey felt Stacie shift in her sleep. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing, kind of hoping Stacie would stay asleep for just a little longer. Aubrey felt Stacie's arms tighten around her for a second before relaxing again; she wasn't sure if the brunette was still sleeping but she still felt the deep, even breathing of Stacie's chest on her back.

Stacie woke without opening her eyes. Sleep still had too much hold on her to make her able to stop herself from automatically snuggling closer to whoever her arm was around. She opened her eyes with the dawning realization of where she was. She prayed that Aubrey was still sleeping. She must be though, right? She would have moved away or woke Stacie if she wasn't. Stacie stayed still for a second, trying to collect her thoughts, and it was then that it dawned on her that it was another soundless night.

Aubrey realized the moment Stacie woke up and tried her best to keep her breathing deep and even. She expected Stacie to move immediately but nothing happened, her arms remained where they were. Maybe Aubrey was mistaken and Stacie hadn't woken up.

After a minute, Stacie carefully lifted her arm off of Aubrey and gently laid on her back. She felt an instant chill to the front of her body and seriously debated returning to her previous position but was afraid she'd wake the blonde.

Aubrey felt the chill too but also, more keenly, felt the absence of the arm around her and the body against her back, felt the comfort go away. Aubrey's stomach tightened. The last thing she wanted was a crush on _anyone_ , let alone someone she sees every day who is a _girl_ and already has a million boyfriends, one of which Aubrey was sure was the crush Stacie had admitted to having last night.

They could have probably laid there for quite some time, both refusing to be the first to move, if not for a sharp knock on the door that startled them both. Seconds later the door flew open and Amy was standing in the doorway.

"Wake up or you'll never get my world famous breakfast!"

Stacie rose on her elbows to look at Amy. "What is it?"

"Donuts."

"You _made_ donuts?"

"No, don't be stupid. I bought them."

Stacie rolled her eyes as Amy turned to leave, shutting the door behind her. Aubrey sat up in bed, not sure how to act but not wanting to be awkward either. She starting rubbing the back of her neck with one hand, a nervous habit.

"Ughh, I'm so tired," Stacie groaned, letting her arms collapse so she was laying down on the bed again. "Leave me," she said, playfully dramatic. "I'm going to stay here and sleep forever." Aubrey chuckled. She didn't know how Stacie always managed to act like nothing happened but she was glad for it.

"Hey, this is my bed!"

Stacie gave Aubrey a pout. "You won't share with me?"

Aubrey grabbed a pillow and smacked her with it, laughing.

"Oh, you tryin' to start something with me, Posen?" Stacie sat up quickly, hands going to Aubrey's stomach as she started tickling her. Aubrey squealed and began laughing, trying to squirm away from Stacie and when that didn't work, reaching out to tickle the brunette in return. Stacie is extremely ticklish and once Aubrey started tickling her, she could only twist her body and try to defend herself by blocking Aubrey's hands, laughing hysterically.

When she couldn't take it anymore, she finally caught Aubrey's wrists and overpowered her, ending up on top of the blonde while pinning her hands slightly above her head. They both immediately stopped laughing and the room turned silent except for their breathing, heavy from the exertion. Stacie's face was over Aubrey's and they were both staring at each other. Aubrey's heart was racing, and not just from being out of breath.

"I win," Stacie said quietly after several moments, moving off of her and letting her hands go. Aubrey let out a slow breath. "Don't even think about a sneak attack later; I always win," Stacie smirked, trying to normalize things.

Aubrey quirked an eyebrow. "Oh really? That sounds like a challenge." Stacie shrugged and then flashed Aubrey a grin. She got up and stretched, yawning.

"I was wondering.." Stacie said slowly, like she was contemplating if she was going to finish the sentence. "-if you wanted to watch a movie with me tonight at my place? It's just.. you've hosted me like three times now and I don't know.. I thought it might be fun?"

"Yeah, let's do it." Aubrey smiled, excitement hitting her only to be immediately followed by a fear that spending too much time with Stacie would only result in trouble - trouble as in she'd get herself in too deep with no hope of anything coming of it. She tried to shake off the feeling.

* * *

"Wait. You're going to hang out with Stacie tonight?" Chloe asked, sounding slightly on edge.

Aubrey's brows furrowed in confusion. "Yes. You just told me you're hanging out with Beca, so what's the problem?"

Chloe shrugged and looked down at the ground. "That seems, I don't know, different. I like Beca - like I _like_ like her. She's not another friend who will replace you."

Aubrey laughed, "I'm not worried about anyone replacing me." When she saw Chloe's dejected expression, the realization hit her. "Oh... Chlo, listen," she said gently, touching Chloe's arm. "No one is replacing you either. There's not a person on this planet who could replace you."

Chloe gave her a half-smile, not truly convinced. "I'm sorry. I don't want it to be like you can't have friends who aren't me… but that would be nice," she laughed and Aubrey gave her arm a playful smack.

"So can we talk for a second about you saying you like Beca because…" Aubrey raised an eyebrow.

Chloe's face turned red. "Yeah, well," she said, looking at her hands, "it's not like she likes me back or anything."

"You're blind. She's totally into you."

"It doesn't seem like it."

"That's because she's Beca - but I'm not sure she would have agreed to game night for anyone else. Maybe she just needs a little help."

Chloe sighed. "I don't know, maybe."

* * *

Aubrey was standing in front of Stacie's door trying to control her nerves. She wiped her palms on her jeans and took a deep breath before raising her fist and knocking. She heard Stacie yell for her to come in and she opened the door. She'd never been in Stacie's room before and was surprised by how neat and girly it was. Stacie was sitting at her desk and turned around to grin at her. Aubrey waved.

"How did you get a single room?"

Stacie laughed. "I won it." Aubrey raised an eyebrow at her. "This really cocky senior girl bet me that she could get this guy in bed before me. She didn't stand a chance." Stacie smirked. Aubrey forced out a laugh, not entirely comfortable with the idea of Stacie getting any person in bed.

"What would she have got if she won?" Aubrey asked as Stacie handed her a bottle of water,

"I would have had to sleep with her." Aubrey choked on her water. "I'm kidding!" Stacie laughed. "The bet was $500 but I didn't want money so she bet her room. I don't think this sort of arrangement is technically allowed so if anyone asks, my name is Brittany." Stacie winked, making Aubrey chuckle.

Aubrey sat on Stacie's bed. It seemed bigger than a twin but wasn't as big as a full which confused her. She looked at the paintings all over Stacie's wall - they were abstract but amazing, dark paintings with splashes of bright color. Stacie noticed the blonde staring at one in particular.

"That one was a real pain to get the layering right. I'm still not sure it turned out how I wanted it," she said.

"You made these?" Aubrey asked, wide eyed.

Stacie shrugged it off, her face coloring a little. "It's just something I do for fun."

"These are really amazing. I mean, I know nothing about art but I know I like these."

"Well, thanks," Stacie smiled.

"So what movie are we watching?"

"I haven't picked one out. But over there on the shelf are a bunch of the movies I already own and then of course there's Netflix. See if you can find one."

Aubrey made her way to the shelf and saw a pretty impressive collection of movies. As she was scanning through, Stacie came and stood beside her.

"I haven't seen most of these."

"Really? Do you not like movies? We don't have to watch a movie."

"No, no, I love movies. I just don't watch them all that much. That's why Chloe and I started our weekly movie years ago. I feel like I'm still so behind. See - like, I've never seen Harry Potter," Aubrey said, pointing at the movie on the shelf.

"WHAT?" Stacie shouted. "Tell me you're joking, please."

Aubrey chuckled, "No, I'm serious. I read the books but didn't get around to the movies."

"That's it, then," Stacie said firmly, shaking her head. "Stop looking, we're watching Harry Potter. We need to fix this immediately." Stacie pulled the first movie off the shelf and went back to her bed.

Aubrey returned to the bed, too, and sat next to Stacie, back up against the wall. Stacie set her computer on a little table with wheels that went over the bed. "Are you ready for this awesomeness?"

Aubrey nodded. "Totally ready." She was definitely ready for the movie to start, if only so that she could hopefully focus on something besides how close she and Stacie were. The brunette started the movie and reached over Aubrey to turn off the light.

It was past 8 when Aubrey first got to Stacie's place and almost midnight when the the movie ended. Aubrey had managed to get absorbed into the movie, which she was thankful for. Stacie, however, had seen Harry Potter a million times so she found herself a little more distracted. She tried to sneak glances at Aubrey but didn't want Aubrey to notice. By the time the movie was coming to an end, Stacie had formulated a plan.

"That movie was great! Maybe next time we can watch the second one?" Aubrey said, excited that she had an excuse to bring up them watching a movie again.

"Definitely, it's a date." Stacie grinned and Aubrey felt butterflies in her stomach, which she was kind of annoyed about.

"Thanks for inviting me over."

"I was just thinking, well, it's kinda late," Stacie said and Aubrey nodded. "I don't really think you should be walking home right now."

"It's okay, Stace. I'll be fine." Aubrey waved her off.

"Why don't you just stay here? It's no big deal and I'd feel a lot more comfortable," Stacie met Aubrey's eyes and watched the blonde furrow her brow just slightly and bite her lip. It's not that Stacie didn't think Aubrey would make it home, campus is pretty safe, but she didn't like the idea of sending her away to just go have a nightmare by herself. The brunette knows she can't be there every night to stop them, or even most nights, but tonight she seemed to have a good enough reason and she didn't want to pass it up.

"Um, I don't have any pajamas," Aubrey said lamely. She couldn't think of a reason not to stay and it probably didn't help that she actually _wanted_ to stay, but she really thought it best that she didn't.

"You can wear some of mine, silly." Stacie flashed Aubrey a smile. "So, will you stay?"

Aubrey took in a deep breath. "Okay, sure, I'll stay." She smiled at Stacie. "Let me just text Chloe so she doesn't worry."

* * *

Stacie was trying to force herself to stay awake. She wanted to try to stop Aubrey's nightmare right when it started, if possible. She's not sure it would work, another nightmare might just replace that one and short of keeping Aubrey awake all the time, there wasn't much she could do about that. But she had to try.

Stacie felt herself growing drowsy, fighting sleep was never something she was good at. Just as she was about to drift off, she felt Aubrey's body jerk quickly and then still. Stacie wasn't sure if it was a twitch or the beginning of something so she waited. After 20 minutes, though, she couldn't fight sleep any longer.

A shout woke Stacie over an hour later. Aubrey was whimpering and shaking, her arms straight at her sides, fists opening and clenching and opening again. Her face was in a grimace of pain. Stacie immediately sat up and shook her shoulder. She noticed that Aubrey's whole body was tensed so tight that she's pretty sure if she picked her up, her body would stay completely rigid.

Stacie grabbed Aubrey's shoulders and shook them forcefully, more than a little frightened and wanting to get through to her. Aubrey bolted up in bed, gasping lungful after lungful of air as if she'd been underwater for too long. Her eyes opened but weren't focused and her body was still trembling, tears were running down her cheeks.

Stacie pulled her into a hug, wrapping her arms right around her. She was surprised when Aubrey turned into the embrace, placing her face in the crook of Stacie's neck. Aubrey's body slowly stopped trembling. Stacie looked down and Aubrey's eyes were closed and she thought maybe she was sleeping. But then the blonde shifted her head and Stacie took a sharp breath when she felt Aubrey's lips on her neck. She felt one gentle kiss and then the older girl's head lifted.

Aubrey eyes opened but they still weren't clear; Stacie wasn't sure if Aubrey could see her or not. Stacie's arms were still around the blonde and Aubrey lifted her hand and put it on Stacie's cheek. Stacie watched Aubrey close her eyes and lean in until her lips met the brunette's. Stacie could taste the tears on Aubrey's lips. Aubrey lightly scraped her nails down Stacie's cheek and moved her hand to the back of Stacie's neck. The younger girl felt Aubrey take her bottom lip in her mouth, gently scraping her teeth against it.

Stacie's heart felt like it was going to hammer out of her chest. She didn't know what to do - she wanted to be kissing Aubrey but not if Aubrey didn't _know_ she was kissing Stacie. Just as Stacie was debating pulling away, Aubrey ended the kiss and nuzzled back into Stacie's neck, placing one more gentle kiss there before letting the weight of her head rest on the brunette's shoulder. A few minutes later, Aubrey was fully asleep again and Stacie was left trying to figure out exactly what had just happened.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I am going to be insanely busy the next couple of weeks but I'm going to try my best to keep up with these stories. That being said, this chapter is really, _really_ short and I apologize for that but I left you hanging last time and I didn't want to leave it too long.**

* * *

Chapter 5

Stacie didn't sleep at all. When Aubrey woke up she found Stacie in the corner of the bed, hugging the knees that were pulled to her chest, staring into the center of the room. Aubrey sat up.

"Stace? Stacie? What's wrong?"

"We have to talk," Stacie said, meeting Aubrey's eyes. Aubrey's stomach clenched.

"Do we have to?"

"Don't we?" Stacie's eyes softened. "Do you remember any part of last night? After we fell asleep?"

Aubrey looked away but Stacie gently touched her face, guiding it back until their eyes met. She nodded but when Stacie kept staring at her, she knew the brunette was waiting for something more. "Yes," Aubrey whispered. The blonde watched as something unreadable shifted in Stacie's eyes. She looked away, getting up from the bed.

Stacie got up too. "Where are you going?"

"I'm not going anywhere. It's just that sometimes it's hard to… be so close to you."

"What do-"

Aubrey rushed on sort of frantically, raising her voice to cut Stacie off, like if she didn't speak now she never would. "Lately, it seems, I can't stop thinking about you. I go home after rehearsal and I wonder what you're doing. I wake up in the morning and I wonder if you're awake too. When I see you, it makes me happier than it should. And when I think about kissing you.. I don't feel negatively or indifferent." She took a step back when Stacie took a step closer to her. She let out a heavy sigh. "I guess what I'm trying to say is.. I think I like you."

Stacie closed the distance between them slightly and reached for Aubrey's arms, lightly squeezing her biceps. "I like you too."

"But," Aubrey finished quietly, eyes glimmering with unshed tears. "You're supposed to say 'Aubrey, I like you, but...'"

Stacie took another step forward, so there was no space between them. She was sure Aubrey could feel her heart hammering in her chest. She moved her hands to Aubrey's waist, holding her there. Aubrey moved her hands to Stacie's shoulders, intending to push her away, but her fingers relaxed and she sighed, looking somewhat despondent. In any other situation, she might have laughed at their positions - they looked like they were about to slow dance.

Stacie blinked, holding her eyes closed for a moment and then stared at Aubrey. She tilted her neck slightly and lowered her head, moving it closer to Aubrey's. Aubrey kept her eyes open, looking up at Stacie and unconsciously raising her chin to close the slight distance between them, their lips so close but not touching. Stacie's nose brushed against Aubrey's and she stopped, softly caressing Aubrey's sides with her thumbs.

"How are you?" Stacie whispered, her words floating across Aubrey's mouth and Aubrey breathed them in, swallowing heavily.

"I'm fine," Aubrey answered, confused by the question and giving her usual automatic reply even though she didn't feel fine. "How are you?"

"I'm good." Stacie moved the fraction of an inch that was left to touch her lips to Aubrey's, holding their mouths pressed together. Aubrey didn't move, her eyes remaining open and her gaze steady on Stacie. Stacie eased the minimal pressure of their joined mouths and moved back, only far enough to lean her forehead against Aubrey's.

"How are you now?" Stacie asked.

"I'm… I'm okay."

"That was nice?"

"Maybe we should…try it again?" Aubrey squeezed Stacie's shoulders lightly, moving her palms over Stacie's clavicles and back up.

"We could do that."

Neither girl moved, though. Stacie closed her eyes, breathing softly. Aubrey's own eyelids drooped and she stared at Stacie's mouth with a half-closed gaze. The hands that were lightly rubbing Stacie's shoulders shifted to the side and Aubrey linked her fingers behind Stacie's neck.

"Aubrey," Stacie whispered. "I'm really nervous."

"So am I." Aubrey nodded in agreement, their close proximity causing her lips to lightly graze Stacie's. Aubrey moved again, rubbing her bottom lip across Stacie's with a feather-light touch. Stacie tilted her head and their mouths came together again, a little harder pressed than before. Stacie parted her lips slightly and Aubrey's mouth opened as well.

Stacie opened her eyes, briefly, seeing that Aubrey's eyes had slipped shut. She ran her tongue over her own bottom lip, catching Aubrey's as well. Aubrey pressed her lips together for a moment, but relaxed again, opening her mouth wider and leaning slightly closer to Stacie. Stacie moved her hand around to reach up and touch Aubrey's face. The back of her knuckles brushed against Aubrey's breast and Aubrey pulled away, breaking their kiss, breaking away from Stacie's hold.

"I'm sorry," Stacie breathed, opening her eyes. "It was an accident, I didn't-"

"It's okay." Aubrey moved back into Stacie's arms, her body trembling. She took Stacie's hand and pressed it over her breast, holding it there before she shut her eyes and leaned in to kiss Stacie again.

Stacie traced the top curve of Aubrey's breast with her thumb. Aubrey was shaking against her, her lips quivering against Stacie's, even as she tried to deepen the kiss. Stacie moved her hand to Aubrey's cheek, folding her knuckles down to stroke the soft skin before breaking away from her. She touched her lips to Aubrey's jaw and then laid her cheek against Aubrey's.

"I'm scared," Aubrey whispered.

"Don't be scared. Please, Bree.." Aubrey's heart fluttered; Stacie had never called her Bree before and it somehow seemed significant to her. Stacie wrapped her arms around Aubrey, tangling a hand into her hair and moving Aubrey's head to rest against her chest. Aubrey squeezed Stacie, tightly, before letting go and stepping away.

"I should go." Aubrey went quickly to grab her purse and her clothes.

"Don't go." Stacie sounded more vulnerable than she wanted.

Aubrey stopped her movements and closed her eyes for a moment before opening them to look at Stacie. "I just.. I need to process this. I need some time." Aubrey reached out and grabbed Stacie's hand, giving it a squeeze, as Stacie nodded, not able to say anything.

Aubrey shut the door behind her as she went and Stacie was left wondering how this turned from Aubrey kissing her to Aubrey leaving her.

* * *

Rehearsal was excruciating for Stacie. Aubrey wouldn't look at her and when it ended, she was one of the first to leave - which never happened. Chloe asked if Stacie wanted to get coffee with her and Beca but she declined, stating she had homework.

She really did have homework but after an hour of trying to do it, she had given up. She couldn't concentrate. She didn't know how much time Aubrey needed. She wanted to be fair and give her the space to figure things out but she didn't know if she could live like this.

Days went by and nothing changed. She only saw Aubrey during rehearsal, contact was very limited, and then Aubrey took off again. Her only comfort was hearing the voice at night. She tried to take a nap during the day to hear it but it didn't work, which was probably for the best.

Stacie was laying in bed after an exhausting day. Her mind was racing as it always was these days. She decided that she was going to try to talk to Aubrey tomorrow, even if it meant going to her apartment. She didn't need answers from her if she didn't have any - but she couldn't go with no contact.

She felt her eyes fill with tears and immediately got annoyed with herself. She doesn't cry often but she was just so tired. She wiped the tears away, falling back in her bed wanting to sleep. She curled up onto her side and thought about how she liked it better when she hated the blonde leader.

It was a little after midnight when a knock at the door made Stacie jump. She got up and looked through the peephole to see out into the hall and immediately opened the door to Aubrey. Stacie stood at the door, taking in the blonde, noticing just how tired she looked. She stepped aside without saying anything, inviting her in. Aubrey shut the door behind herself and walked toward Stacie, staring at her intently.

"You've been crying," Aubrey said quietly, reaching up with one hand to wipe under Stacie's eye. Her hand stilled on Stacie's cheek as she looked into her eyes. In one swift movement, Aubrey moved her hand from Stacie's cheek to the back of her neck, pulling her forward until their lips touched. Stacie gasped into the contact.

Aubrey ran her tongue over Stacie's bottom lip, earning a whimper from the brunette. Before Aubrey could deepen the kiss any more, Stacie pulled away. The brunette rested her forehead on Aubrey's, panting slightly. She grabbed Aubrey's hand and put it on her chest over her heart.

"Can you feel my heart?" Stacie murmured.

"It's racing," Aubrey whispered. "Why?"

Stacie took a step back so she could look Aubrey in the eyes. "I like you."

Aubrey shook her head. "You don't even know me."

"I know enough to know I feel differently about you than any other person I know." Stacie placed her hand on Aubrey's chest. "I know you like me too."

"You hated me two weeks ago."

"I didn't know you two weeks ago."

"You don't know me now."

"There are a lot of people I don't know," Stacie said. "But only one I think about kissing." Stacie took Aubrey's face in her hands and kissed her. Their kisses were light and soft until they weren't, and then they lingered longer and pressed a little harder, almost teasing, daring. Suddenly they were hot and deep and Aubrey was leaning into Stacie, her arms sliding up the brunette's back and into her hair. Aubrey's back hit the door, startling her. She pulled her lips away.

Stacie didn't break contact, she was planting kisses on Aubrey's jaw, and then on her neck. Aubrey groaned, her breath coming out in pants.

"Should we talk about this?" Aubrey's legs were shaking and she was afraid they might give out at any minute. Stacie stilled. "I've never… This is…"

Stacie silenced Aubrey with her lips, taking her bottom lip between her teeth before sucking on it gently. Aubrey whimpered at the new sensation. She shivered when Stacie's hands slid up her side and back down, finding their way under her shirt to touch bare skin.

Stacie finally regained her senses, pulling away from Aubrey and taking a step backwards so she wouldn't be able to touch her, finally sitting when the back of her legs hit her bed. She let out a breath.

Aubrey felt need coursing through her and it took her by surprise. She typically doesn't let her wants or desires trump logical thinking. Then again, she's never felt desire like this before. Suddenly, she didn't want to think about what anything meant or how it was going to play out. She want those lips on her again. But she was far too cautious for that.

Stacie watched Aubrey approach the bed and sit next to her. The blonde took Stacie's hand, tentatively, her thumb gently rubbing back and forth. She sighed. "This is new for me. I mean, that I like you and that you're a girl, definitely - but also just liking anyone in general. I haven't in a really long time.. I'm too closed off. I don't let people in."

Stacie nodded, running her free hand through her hair. "Me too. I know it doesn't seem like that, maybe, but I prefer to be with people who are more.. _disposable_. I haven't ever felt like there was someone I wanted to stick around for."

"Ever?"

"Not until now." Aubrey felt her heart flutter.

"Can I stay?"


End file.
